Minding Our Business
A monthly article written by Dean Becton
Chat GPT
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for a while, but it has constantly been in the news in recent months. This is primarily due to the November 2022 launch of ChatGPT by OpenAI. The goal of OpenAI is to develop what people call artificial general intelligence, which is a state where machines can do anything humans can, any task, emotion, or feeling. OpenAI was initially formed as a nonprofit to change how AI research was conducted… secretively and by big tech giants like Google. When Sam Altman became the CEO of OpenAI, he created a for-profit arm of OpenAI and pushed for a more intuitive business application of AI. In November, OpenAI released ChatGPT (which stands for generative pre-trained transformer), and it became immediately popular. ChatGPT reached one million users in five days without any marketing.
ChatGPT is a chatbot that can answer virtually any question. It can write original poetry in the style of E.E. Cummings, original screenplays in the style of Quentin Tarantino, or APA formatted research papers complete with citations and sources. The chatbot is good. So good that students have already begun to use it to cheat, and traditional methods to detect plagiarism are defenseless. As a test case, I asked ChatGPT a question I have used on essay exams in the past, "Which of the big five personality dimensions should be used to hire sales professionals and why?" In literally 10 seconds, I had a four-paragraph response that I would have graded as a near-perfect answer. See below.
This presents some serious challenges concerning online courses and projects/papers completed outside the classroom for us in higher ed, and we are scrambling to find solutions. Requiring proctors, using pencil and paper, and making students apply concepts to recent events are possible remedies. Still, it will not eliminate AI as a threat, and we will have to continue to adjust as ChatGPT gets better at what it does.
While those of us in academia are concerned about students using AI to cheat on exams or essays, those in the industry also worry about AI's impact. ChatGPT can write press releases, marketing copy, computer coding, etc. In other words, AI could eliminate many existing jobs, but some argue that it will create new ones. Some companies will embrace AI to be more productive and efficient. Others will likely shun it due to its lack of human touch or accountability, as it could be better and sometimes makes mistakes or spits out inaccuracies. One thing is for sure, AI is here to stay, and it will likely become more popular. As a result, we must also embrace AI as a tool that can and will be used positively in higher education and industry. How does your organization plan to use or respond to AI?
Chuck and Rita Scianna Invest in College of Business and Economic Development Initiatives
Chuck and Rita Scianna recently invested $1 million into Southern Miss Business initiatives supporting both students and faculty. The Scianna’s are long-time champions of the University and have generously supported the College’s initiatives on several notable occasions, including an investment of $6 million towards the business building on the Hattiesburg campus, aptly named Scianna Hall.
Of the $1 million investment, $350,000 will go towards the inception of the Scianna Business Leadership Program, which will provide a select group of promising business students significant learning experiences to cultivate leadership skills and develop a high level of professionalism. This program will offer a variety of supplemental activities far beyond the classroom, such as one-on-one mentoring and coaching, interactions with business professionals, off-site trips, and much more. Students selected for the program will receive a scholarship to assist with tuition and other college-related experiences.
Another $150,000 of the generous investment will support the Scianna Student Managed Investment Fund, providing students the opportunity to participate in live portfolio management while developing their financial analysis skills through rigorous equity research. The investment will also fund special initiatives for the students, such as investment management related events, workshops, competitions, high-profile guest lecturers in the financial sector, and trips to cities such as Boston, Chicago, New York, and other locations where careers in finance thrive.
The remainder of the funds will go towards establishing the Scianna Endowed Fund for Excellence to support student and faculty programming, advance the college, and enhance student experience.
2023 Economic Outlook Forum
The 2023 Economic Outlook Forum will be held in person on Thursday, February 23, 2023, from 10:00am-1:00pm in the Thad Cochran Center on the Hattiesburg campus. The Economic Outlook Forum is an annual event where experts in areas of banking, finance, and academia discuss economic trends and forecasts for the year. This year, speakers include:
- Dr. Chris Smith, Visiting Assistant Professor of Economic Development at Southern Miss
- Dr. Gary Wagner, Acadiana Business Economist Endowed Chair at University of Louisiana Lafayette
- Mr. Thanh Roettele, Managing Director of Mortgage Finance at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
USM Business Student Receives AICPA Legacy Scholarship
Tyler Pittman
Graduate student Patrick “Tyler” Pittman has been awarded a prestigious Legacy Scholarship for 2022-23 by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA). He is the only student from a Mississippi college or university to earn one of the coveted awards.
A native of Sumrall, Miss., Pittman recently earned his BSBA degree in accounting at USM. He is currently pursuing his master's in professional accountancy.
“I am extremely grateful to receive an AICPA Legacy Scholarship. I specifically received the scholarship for minority accounting students which has helped me pay for upfront costs of the CPA exam... With this scholarship, I am able to focus on studying and hopefully pass before I start my career with KPMG.” — Tyler Pittman
Southern Miss Business Ranked Among Best in the Nation by U.S. News & World Report
Southern Miss Business is proudly ranked among the best in the country in three categories published by U.S. News & World Report. In its Best Online Programs 2023 rankings, U.S. News ranked USM’s bachelor’s in business at #44 in the nation and #1 in Mississippi. This ranking rose from its #51 spot in 2022. USM also ranked #83 Best Online MBA for Veterans, marking the first time that USM has been included in this category. Additionally, the USM Online MBA ranked #142.
⭐ #44 Best Online Bachelor's in Business, 2023
⭐ #83 Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans, 2023
⭐ #142 Best Online MBA Programs, 2023
Southern Miss Business Professor Earns MSCPA Educator of Year Award
Dr. Nell Adkins
Southern Miss Business Associate Professor of Accounting, Dr. Nell Adkins has been named Outstanding Educator for 2023 by the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accounting’s (MSCPA) Awards, Education and Scholarship Committee. Only one accounting educator in Mississippi receives this distinguished award each year.
“I am very honored to be the recipient of this award. However, no one receives this award without the support and friendship of great colleagues like the ones I have here in the USM School of Accountancy. I thank them for their tireless work on behalf of our students.” — Dr. Nell Adkins
School of Leadership Recap
Southern Miss Business Student in SeaAhead Internship
Patrice Washington recently shared her experience as an intern with SeaAhead, which was founded with the purpose of uniting “blue technology” entrepreneurs with investors, industry leaders, technical experts, and stakeholders to create scalable businesses. Washington is an industrial engineering technology (logistics) major in the School of Leadership at the Gulf Park campus.
Ph.D. Student Publishes Article on Remote Worker Selection
Suzette Jung, current Human Capital Development (ITD) Ph.D. student, recently published an article about remote worker selection in a practitioner-geared column called "The Bridge," which appears in The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist (TIP), a peer-reviewed, open-source publication of the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists (SIOP).
Alumnus Completes Maritime Port Executive Certification
Brandon Schmid, Logistics, Trade, and Transportation, M.S. alumnus, completed his Maritime Port Executive certification at the Port of Gulfport in December. The course was tailored around certifying port managers and port executives on maritime operations
Graduate Commencement
Eight new Ph.D. professionals were hooded at the December 2022 Graduate Commencement Ceremony.
Welcoming Doctoral Students Back to Campus
The School of Leadership held its first in-person 3-day session of 2023 in January for doctoral students in the Human Capital Development Ph.D. program taking Change Leadership and Survey Design courses.
Dissertation or Bust
Dissertation or Bust, on December 2-3, where 30+ doctoral candidates presented their progress on their research.
USM Business Students Place in Level Up! Student Marketing Competition
Four Southern Miss student teams competed in the inaugural LevelUp! Student Marketing Competition hosted by HubSpot Education Partner Program (EPP). The nationwide competition consisted of 76 total students amongst 24 teams. This one-day virtual competition hosted a real-time marketing simulation where student teams operated as an agency bringing a product to market. Some of the decision-making involved marketing strategies such as market segmentation, sales distribution prioritization, budget allocation, and public relations challenges.
The simulated product to launch was personal-use jet packs—and several of the Southern Miss teams took off!
- Colby Wynn (senior computer science major, marketing minor) placed 5th overall and was recognized as the "Highest Scoring Individual Contributor."
- Parker McPhail (senior psychology major, social media marketing minor) placed #7 overall.
- Kaela Barnicle & Dawson Cudd placed #11 overall and dominated the "Revenue from Sales" category placing in the top 5.
Alumni Career Success
Charles Vice
Southern Miss Business alum Charles Vice relishes the opportunity to assist others as the Director of Financial and Technology Access for the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA).
In this new role, Vice will serve as the principal advisor to the NCUA Board on agency policy with respect to fintech and fintech developments and transformation initiatives in the financial services sector, including cryptocurrency, blockchain, and distributed ledger technology.
“The NCUA’s vision is to ‘strengthen communities and protect consumers by ensuring equitable financial inclusion through a robust, safe, sound, and evolving credit union system.’ My new position gives me the opportunity to work with the NCUA Board, management, and employees to promote the use of technology in the industry to improve operations and ensure fair and equitable access to financial services.” — Charles Vice
Maurice Ford
Recent Southern Miss Business graduate, Maurice Ford, has performed exceptionally well in his role as a management trainee with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. After starting his position in June, he has continuously ranked in the top 10 performers every month and recently joined the Winners Circle! This recognition consists of an exclusive plaque and dinner with the regional vice president of Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Southern Miss Business is very proud of Maurice's accomplishments.
Southern Miss Business Professor Featured Expert in WalletHub Article
Upcoming Spring Events
- Tue, Feb. 14: Coffee w/ an Entrepreneur in The Hatchery
- Wed, Feb 15: Gulf Park Experience Business Casually
- Thur, Feb 23: Economic Outlook Forum
- Wed, Mar 1: Business Career & Internship Expo
- Tue, Mar 7: USM Careers on the Coast and Job Fair at Gulf Park
- Tue, Mar 7: Coffee w/ an Entrepreneur in The Hatchery
- Wed, Mar 8: Lunch with the Hatchery
- Tue, Mar 21: Coffee w/ an Entrepreneur in The Hatchery
- Fri, Mar 24: Alumni of the Year Luncheon
- Thur, Mar 30: Inspired Leaders Series, Jan Larsen
- Tue, Apr 4: Coffee w/ an Entrepreneur in The Hatchery
- Wed, Apr 5: Lunch with the Hatchery
- Thur, Apr 6: Professional Sales Lab Open House
- Tue, Apr 18: Coffee w/ an Entrepreneur in The Hatchery
- Fri, Apr 28: Beta Gamma Sigma Induction & Collegewide Awards Day
- Thur, May 11: Graduate School Commencement
- Fri, May 12: Undergraduate Commencement
- Sat, May 13: Gulf Park Commencement
Business Alumni, What's New With You?
Southern Miss Business Alumni, we want to hear from you! Do you have good news to share? Maybe you got a new job, a promotion, or won an award! Please share your good news with us so we can help celebrate you and include your accomplishments in future newsletters. Click the link below to fill out the form.